Comment by Diti

19 days ago

With the sorry state the software industry is currently in, I’m not surprised that developers would sell their soul in exchange for the peace of mind of being able to pay rent and food. Working for those companies does not make people “do what they can to support racist agendas”.

28 comments

Diti

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testfrequency  19 days ago

Is this your way of sharing that you work at X or are open to hurting people in exchange for cash?

Also, you can retain your morals and choose a career, it is optional to select where you work as it’s hopefully voluntary.

  • surgical_fire  19 days ago

    There's nothing voluntary when your options are homelessness and starvation. The bank won't accept your morals in lieu of money when accepting mortgage repayments.

    Thankfully I don't live in the US and I don't work for anything even remotely related to this. I don't know if I would have the fortitude in the current US job market (based on what I read here) to threat the well being of the wife and daughter by taking principled stances.

    • RGamma  19 days ago

      Dilapidating the world for an easy buck is gonna bite you and/or your kids eventually. We have reached technological sophistication where certain kinds of mistakes are not allowed if civilization as we know it is to survive.

      6 replies →

    • umanwizard  19 days ago

      Okay, I'll accept your point for those software engineers that have a choice between working at an immoral company or "homelessness and starvation".

      Thankfully, that isn't most of them. Despite the job market not being as good as it used to be, the vast majority of software engineers in the US could still find another job to pay the bills before becoming homeless and starving.

      7 replies →

    • testfrequency  19 days ago

      You chose the most absolute and extreme predicament possible to cast your “money is money” belief.

      You do realize this is what most criminals of the world just so happen to say as well, right?

      Where is the line?

      2 replies →

ljm  19 days ago

Perhaps to show the level of privilege I enjoy as a software engineer with some level of seniority, I have had zero problem resigning from a position (more than once in fact) because I objected to something my employer was doing. It's been enough for me to filter potential opportunities exclusively to tech-for-good concerns.

Sure, I don't earn half a million a year total comp to kiss some billionaire's ass, but I still have a very comfortable lifestyle that is well above the median.

  • account42  19 days ago

    Yeah, software is perhaps one of the industries where the "I got bills to pay" argument is the least justifiable. If your lifestyle can only be sustained by working for unethical companies then your lifestyle is unethical. You certainly don't need to sell your soul to FAANG to live a comfortable and happy life.

watwut  19 days ago

There was never shortage of developers who "would sell their soul" for higher salary in conditions where job with slightly lower salary was easily available. I really do not think we have to pretend to our selves that if one of us does it, it is because he/she is poor and the kids would starve.

Also, layers are resining from positions in doj they find unethical. It is not like the jobs for them were easier to find.

AlecSchueler  19 days ago

> With the sorry state the software industry is currently in, I’m not surprised that developers would sell their soul in exchange for the peace of mind of being able to pay rent and food

You really think adtech is the way to avoid starving on the street? There are a hell of a lot of jobs between entry level and adtech dev that could give you the same basic peace of mind.

  • Diti  18 days ago

    No, there are ways to avoid working for adtech or tech support if you still have family or friends (I’m currently moving back to my parents’ place). But not everyone has this luck.